Bow-facing oarlock



May 27, 1924. 1,495,628

A. ADELMANN BOW FACING OARLOCK Filed Feb. 20 1924 Patented May 27, 1924.

A UNITED STATES ALBRECHT ADELMANN, or NEW YORK, 1\T.- Y.

BO'W-IEACIN'G OARLOCK.

Application filed February 20, 1924. Serial No.693,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBRECHT ADELMANN, a citizen of Germany, residing at New York city, borough of the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bow-Facing? Oarlocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the ropulsion of boats and has particular re erence to means for supporting hand operated oars so as to enable the boatman to face toward the bow of the boat While rowing forward.

Among the objects of the invention, therefore, is to provide a special 'constructionof oars and, oarlocks so as to enable the boatman to sit in the boat facing toward the bow and have the same control for the manipulation of the oars as is customary with the usual oars which demand that the boatman sit with his back toward the bow, thus enabling the boatman with the new equipment to have always a demand direct vision of the course ahead of him so as to better avoid collisions or obstructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of jointed oar having the same universal movement in connection with the lock as the common oar hasand having specially arranged supporting means enabling the oars to be shipped or swung around. into the boat with facility.

With the foregoinga'nd other objects in view the invention consists in the ar'range- -;m'ent and combination of parts" hereinafter described and claimed, and while thei'nv vention is not restricted t'o'theexact dethe same parts in which y Y a Figure 1 is a plan view-of a fragment of a, boat having my improvementlattached "line 2-2 of'Fig. 1. c 'l'Figi' -is an' end elevation of'Fig. 2.

3 Fig. 4: is a diagram indicating thear- 'lrangementrand operation of the oars 7 of' tails of construction disclosed or suggested herein still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereofreference is hadto the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate 1n the several views, and

thereto, a portion of the structure-being in section on the broken line 1 -4 of Fig 2.

Fig. 2- is a side elevation of theisam'e, parts beinginsectionabout on the broken :"1' Refrri1ig 'now -more' specifically to-th drawings I show a conventional row boatlO having right and left side rails 11 and a seat 12 for the boatman, and t0 the. rails 11 are secured the oarlocks constituting the sub ect matter of this specification] 13 indicates a bracket fitted upon the rail 11 in any suitable manner as by means ofears-or 'lugs'14 extending down upon the 1ns1de' of the rail through which fasteners 15 are passed securing the same in fixed position. Other fasteners such as screws 16m'ay be driven down into the top of the rail. One end of the bracket is in the form 'of a yoke 17 having an open mouth'directed toward the opposite end of the bracket and in this month is journaled a knuckle 18 for movement around a vertical axis, and the knuckle has an open hori- Zontal bearing socket 19 adjacent to the open end of the yoke. The yoke, further- 'more, has vertically'aligned bearing holes 20 and 21 formed therein. At the opposite end the bracket is provided with an enlargement or head 22 havin a horizontal and longitudinally. arranged passageway plunger 25 is located in the longitudinal passage 23 and is normally'urged toward the'opposite "end of the bracket'by means of a' spring 26.- It may be drawn, however,

' Anot er 'main feature of construction is'a 'bail27, one end 28 of which; extends vertically-downward through the hole 20 of the yoke" and the vertical hole '29 in the knuckle and thence into the hole or socket 21 of the .yoke, constituting the vertical bearing (or axis for the knuckle.

suitable construction typifies suitable means A pin 30 ofany able-=laterally through the opening 24 of the bracket-head and'is locked in such positi'on by the end of the plunger 25 projected the bracketqwhen'i so loclr'edlflby the plunger. Upon "withdrawing" the plunger, however,

thebaihmay swing around the "axis; of the end 28 thereof." The bearing 31 includes 23 and an undercut or open sideat 24. A

mmanuallyin'theopposite direction by the. opera-to-r while. pulling upon the. head 25 of the lunger.

ing albearing 31', theextremeiend 32 of d which is bent' horizontally andpis projectinto apit 33,,formed-in the end, 32. Thus a movable section 31 shown as connected to the main portion by means of a hinge 31*, but normally locked in closed position by means of a fastener such as a screw 31.

Another main portion of the improved oarlock consists of a tilting member or casing comprising upper and lower plates 34 and 35 arranged in parallel planes and held in fixed relation to each other by means of stop or trunnion blocks 36 and 37 of a rigid construction and specially designed to constitute means to limit the swing of the oar members and also provided each with a bearing trunnion 38. These blocks may be constructed as castings or drop forgings and are provided as indicated with top and bottom plane surfaces against which the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates are fitted and through which rivets 39 are passed to lock these parts together. One trunnion 38 is journaled in the bearing socket 19 of the knuckle at one end of the bracket and the other trunnion, being in axial alignment with the first mentioned trunnion, is journaled in the bearing 31. Thus the casing is supported free to tilt as far as desired or necessary around a fore and aft axis within or beneath the bail 27.

The oar mechanism comprises a handle portion 4.0 and a blade portion 41 for each oarlock, and the specific description of the connections between the two members of each oar will be understood as applicable to both sets. The handle 40 includes or is fitted suitably to a metal shank portion 42 of relatively thin construction and curved as shown in Fig. 1. The outer end of this portion is fitted upon a vertical axis or pivot pin 43 fixed within or between the plates 34 and 35 of the casing. Formed preferably as an integral part of the shank 42 is a gear segment 44 the teeth of which are formed along an arc concentric with the axis of the pin 43 and normally directed toward the opposite end of the casing. The pin 43 is located as close as practicable to the trunnion block 37 and the curved portion of the shank 42 co-operates with this trunnion block asa limiting stop for movement of the handle in the direction in which the stroke is made. The segment 44 lies then over the shank 42 and the axis there of lies substantially in the vertical plane of the axis of the handle.

The blade 41 is likewise formed with or attached to a metal shank 45 pivoted upon a pin 46 fixed vertically adjacent to the apposite trunnion block at 36, and this, shank 45 is fixed rigidly to or formed integral with a gear segment 47, the teeth of which mesh constantly with the teeth of the segment 44. While the limit of movement of the oar handle 40 in making a stroke is determined by the block 37 movement in the opposite direction is limited preferably mes es by impact of the curved portion of the shank 45 against the stop or trunnion block 36. There is no relative movement or lost motion vertically between the oar members and the casing, and because of the interen- 1 gagement of the teeth of the segments and the close bearing fit of the same upon the pins 43 and 46 there is no lost motion between these relatively pivoted members. It follows, therefore, that a pull on the handle will cause a corresponding movement of the blade of the oar in the same direction and in the same plane. Also a downward movement upon the handle will lift the blade in exactly the same manner as the action upon an ordinary stiff oar. In other words, a man seated upon the seat 12 facing forward will manipulate his ears with this improvement with exactly the same movements or motions as he would practice with common oars if seated facing the opposite way.

I have found it desirable to provide means whereby a relatively short stroke of the handle may produce a longer stroke of the oar blade or a relatively slow movement of the handle will produce a quicker movementof the blade. To this end I have constructed the segments 44 larger in radius than the segments 47. Consequently it must be appreciated that for the making of a sufficiently longer or full stroke of the blade, the handle 40 need move through a shorter are before it is limited or stopped.

It will be noted from the foregoing that the casing is provided with open sides through which the handle and blade members of the oar project laterally and along which they swing simultaneously in the same direction and also that the pivots for these parts are located on opposite sides of the fore and aft axis around which the casing is adapted to tilt. Furthermore, the respective pivots for the oar parts are so located that the axis around which the casing tilts is located between them and said parts, whereby there is afforded the equivalent of relatively long oar members.

I claim:

1. In a bow facing oarlock, the combination of a bracket, a casing above the bracket and including bearing blocks having axial trunnions, means borne by said bracket supporting the casing trunnions for tilting movement of the casing around a substantially fore and aft horizontal axis, oar means pivotally mounted within the casing, the bearing blocks serving as stops for limit ing the swinging of the oar means.

2. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the bracket is provided at one end with a yoke having an opening toward the opposite end, a knuckle in said yoke, a bail having one end passing through said knuckle and said yoke and constituting a pivot for the swinging of the knuckle around the axis of such end, and means detachably locking the opposite end of the bail to the opposite end of the bracket.

3. The herein described oarlock structure comprising, in combination, a casing having open sides, a pair of pivots mounted in the casing perpendicular to the top and bottom thereof, a pair of blocks at the ends of the casing adjacent to the respective pivots, said blocks having oppositely projected trunnions determining the fore and aft axis of the casing, an oar handle on one side of said pivots and projecting laterally through one open side of the casing, an oar blade pivoted on the other pivot and projected from the opposite side of the casing, means connecting said handle and blade for simultaneous pivotal movement thereof in the same direction independently of the tilting thereof with the casing around the axis aforesaid, and means to support said trunnions for the tilting movement of the casing, said means for connecting the handle and blade being two toothed segments lying in a plane above the plane of the oar members and mounted to swing around pivots lying in the vertical planes of the axes of the respective members.

4. In a bow facing oarlock, the combination of a bracket, a casing above the bracket, means supporting the casing for tilting movement around an axis parallel to the bracket, said casing comprising upper and lower plates and a pair of end blocks, the end blocks having bearin members coinciding with the axis aroun which the casing tilts, an oar handle and an oar blade mounted to swing around pivots .within the casing and perpendicular to the casing plates, the end members of the casing serving as limitthe swinging of the knuckle around the axis of such end, and means detachably locking the opposite end of the bail to the opposite end of the bracket.

6. The herein described oarlock structure comprising, in combination, a tilting member, a pair of pivots mounted thereon, means including oppositely projected trunnions determining the fore and aft axis around which the member is adapted to tilt, an oar handle pivoted on one of said pivots and projected laterally therefrom, an oar blade pivoted on the other pivot and projecting laterally from the opposite side of the tilting member, said fore and aft axis lying between the aforesaid pivots and the pivots I for the oar parts being located on the remote side of the fore and aft axis from their respective oar parts, thus affording the maximum leverage for the easier manipulation of the oar, means connecting said handle and blade for simultaneous pivotal movement thereof in the same direction in dependently of the tilting of said tilting member around the axis aforesaid, and

means to support said trunnions for the tilt; I

ALBRECHT ADELMAN N. 

